News:

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

South Korea wasn't informed either, going by the panic at the Blue House and urgent requests for clarification from the Americans (this would be easier if, say, there were an Ambassador in South Korea to whom the South Koreans could speak with, but of course Trump hasn't appointed one of those yet).

"The best deals". And to be honest, this was inevitable. Someone who a) has the attention span of a concussed duckling and b) actively goes out of his way to spurn the advice of experts and c) thinks the political world works exactly like the business world was always going to end up giving things away for free. There's no way it wasn't going to happen. It's Dunning-Kruger personified, he thinks everything runs like business does, and with enough bluster and intimidation he can barrel on through.

I mean, just look at that "Libya option" shit the other week. What do I really not want to remind a nuclear armed state about, going into the negotiations? Probably about that time a long-term adversary of the USA gave up its nukes, the USA backed a rebellion against that leader, and that leader got knifed in the arse to death by a mob. And then on the other hand offering to make Kim Jong Un "secure" and rich. Nukes = security, as far as the North Korean regime is concerned.

I mean, yes, you're going to need to deal with the fact that a good 35% of your country is absolutely batshit insane sooner or later.

Aside from the obvious reasons for impeaching Trump, I favour that because I think impeaching Trump may send the crazies over the edge, and give you a chance to do just that. Otherwise, it's just kicking the problem down the road, until you get a President who can run a half competent PR campaign, knows how government works, has the respect of Congress and utterly steamrolls what is left of your republic.

It's probably better to do that now, before the irreversible climate change wrecks the coastline of most of the world and makes anywhere inbetween the tropics almost uninhabitable, sparking resource wars and flows of immigrants that make the current Middle East look minor by comparison.

Honestly, if I was a Russian intelligence operative, you know what I'd be planning right now? Blatantly and obviously supporting the Democrats in 2020, with a very clear crumb trail back to Moscow.

Trump will rage, likely declare the election illegitimate, may refuse to stand down if he loses, will definitely direct the DOJ to go after the Democrats if he somehow still wins. Meanwhile, 50% of the voting population will think the other 50% are traitor-supporting scum. Each side will be convinced the other is working with Russia, is illegitimate and unfit to rule. Throw in a few coordinated protests, maybe encourage a bit of violence and then sit back and watch as the USA rips itself apart.

Russia doesn't care who sits in the White House. It cares about paralysing the normal function of the US government, giving it a free hand in its near abroad and areas of interest like Syria. Best way to do that is to take advantage of US hyperpartisanship, and that doesn't mean backing any one player fully.

Depends how many of the Nobel Prize selection committee (whose identities are secret) have been stopped from coming into America.

It would probably go to South Korea's President...if they give it out for this. I'm not convinced that what Trump says is happening on the Korean Peninsula ("denuclearization") is what Kim Jong Un says is happening ("recognition of North Korea as a de facto nuclear power and sovereign state, ending the Korean War"). Which means the talks are almost certainly going to fall apart.